How to make a living with the dead?
Have you already thought about your afterlife? No? Well, in Ghana, there are specialists who will make your last path even more colorful.
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00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:02 Is it worth passing on a tradition
00:04 of passing away in style?
00:07 In Ghana, the art of coffin making is a big deal.
00:11 Now let's find out how it is to make a living with the dead.
00:14 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:18 For all the orders I receive, about 95%
00:22 are all fancy coffins.
00:23 I think technology has a role to play in this business
00:27 because I'm toying with this idea of even putting
00:31 a motorized device in some of the coffins I will make
00:34 so that these coffins can move on their own
00:38 during the burial.
00:40 And this is a concept that I am feverishly working towards.
00:44 For me, I'm excited because this is
00:46 going to be something that will revolutionize the space.
00:50 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
00:53 Before we find out why Douglas Stegall decided
00:56 to make a living from coffins, let's find out how
00:59 they are made in the first place.
01:00 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
01:03 Making a fantasy coffin can take up to two weeks.
01:06 Other complex designs can take up to a month.
01:09 I often approach my work by starting with a freehand sketch
01:12 of the design.
01:13 Also, I surf the internet to get designs.
01:17 Then I begin to fabricate my wood one after the other
01:20 to follow the intended design layout.
01:23 Finally, I ensure that no nails show
01:26 on the surface of the coffin.
01:28 Then I get a sign writer to complete the work
01:31 with the appropriate inscriptions if necessary.
01:34 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
01:37 In Ghana, the death rate is 7.63 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants.
01:43 For funeral celebrations, their scale
01:45 is determined by the social rank of the deceased,
01:48 sometimes costing a year's salary.
01:51 The expense extends to coffins priced between 100 and 3,000
01:56 euros, exceeding the country's annual per capita income
02:00 of 2,034 euros.
02:04 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
02:06 Here in Ghana, we do these fancy coffins for family reasons
02:11 and also for aesthetic reasons.
02:13 So we often look at the industry or the area that you worked.
02:18 Then we design the coffin to suit you.
02:20 So these coffins become a testimony of who a person was
02:24 when they were alive.
02:25 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
02:29 The tradition of fantasy coffin crafting in Ghana,
02:32 initiated by Ata Okwu and Seth Kanikwe in the mid-1940s,
02:38 has evolved with artists like Kujo Afutu and Hans Zenijare.
02:42 How do they carry on the legacy?
02:45 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
02:48 Mainly, there are about three types of fantasy coffin--
02:52 one that represent a family.
02:55 And in this case, they do this to honor
02:57 a family member or a relative.
03:01 The second one is that which speaks
03:04 about the person's profession.
03:08 Then the third is one that people do just for beauty's sake.
03:12 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
03:16 Just a few corners from Hans Zen's coffin house,
03:19 Kujo Afutu makes his artistic coffins too.
03:22 What makes him a key figure in passing on this tradition?
03:26 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:29 First, in times past, our work could
03:32 delay because of the paint.
03:34 It takes days to dry up.
03:36 But now, we actually use auto base and other paints
03:39 that are used for cars.
03:41 Just in a couple of hours, it dries up.
03:43 Then you can quickly put your finishing touches
03:45 to your coffin.
03:47 It's interesting how I got into this fancy coffin making.
03:51 So one day, I was walking around Teshi, a suburb of Accra.
03:55 And I saw a design of a fish.
03:58 I had to go close to it to realize it was a coffin.
04:02 And I was really fascinated.
04:04 So it drove a strong desire in me
04:06 to start learning how to make these coffins.
04:09 It wasn't really for the money.
04:11 It was just to do something fancy that
04:13 will let people get talking.
04:18 Douglas Tego was clear he wanted to learn
04:20 the magic crafts from Kujo.
04:22 After being an apprentice and serving under him for a year,
04:25 he now established his own workshop.
04:28 How does the young coffin maker contribute
04:31 to the ongoing continuity of this unique art form?
04:35 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
04:36 I started working in building construction.
04:38 But my mother didn't like my job,
04:41 encouraged me to rather learn carpentry
04:44 and specialize in coffin making.
04:45 So I did.
04:46 Later, when my mother died, my brothers
04:48 suggested that I should display my mother's coffin outside.
04:52 To them, this could serve as a form of advertisement
04:54 that will attract customers to me.
04:56 My mother was a cook.
04:57 So I created a coffin that resembled
05:00 banku, which was the food most people like.
05:03 My mother's food was known as affordable.
05:05 So I made an inscription of that on the coffin.
05:08 Lots of people started placing orders for me.
05:10 I decided to stay in this town, Bojiase, to ply my trade.
05:14 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
05:16 I brought my little brother close to my business.
05:21 And we've been working together for years.
05:23 I also have one apprentice.
05:25 But he is in school.
05:27 And so when he closes, he comes to help us.
05:30 Once he finishes schooling, he just needs a little polish up.
05:34 And he'll be ready to start work.
05:35 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
05:38 Daniel and his team won't be running out of work
05:40 anytime soon.
05:42 Celebrating the deceased with fantasy coffins
05:45 is a skill and tradition that is worth passing on.
05:48 [MUSIC PLAYING]